Panthers' Munnerlyn responds with huge game

Carolina cornerback Captain Munnerlyn is by his own definition a laid-back kind of cool customer. He showed a dark side on Sunday against the Jets.

By ERIC BOYNTONeric.boynton@shj.com

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Carolina cornerback Captain Munnerlyn is by his own definition a laid-back kind of cool customer with an ever-present megawatt smile and a joy for the game that he effortlessly displays.The fifth-year veteran from the University of South Carolina provided proof of a dark side during Sunday's 30-20 victory over the Jets and turned his inner angst into producing one of his best career games. Munnerlyn had two sacks and a 41-yard interception return for a touchdown that sealed the deal in the fourth quarter.The source of Munnerlyn's additional motivation was Jets receiver Santonio Holmes saying he thought the Panthers' secondary was “the weakest link” on Carolina's highly-touted defense.“I've never been called out like that,” Munnerlyn said. “I've never been part of something like that before. If he thought that, I've never heard nobody say it, but he came out publicly and said it. I've never seen him call anybody out so it was kind of shocking that he did that. I guess he was just trying to light a fire for his team, but it was the opposite. He lit a fire under our secondary and we showed up today.”Munnerlyn's trademark grin was in full effect as he held court in front of his locker, but his Herculean effort left him pondering a change in how he approaches the game. He's always played with an admitted chip on his shoulder since falling into the final round of the 2009 draft, but his annoyance at Holmes was an eye opener.“(Carolina safety) Mike Mitchell is normally a guy who is always geeked, but I'm more of the laid-back guy of the group. But I kind of took it personally this week. I was fired up when I got to the stadium and I couldn't wait to play. I was kind of mad the game wasn't until 4 o'clock because I wanted to get on the field. Maybe I need to get a little more geeked before games instead of being laid back.”Less than three minutes had passed since the Panthers had taken a 23-13 lead with 11:05 left in the game when Munnerlyn snatched a pass away from Holmes, got a block from linebacker Luke Kuechly, and scampered 41 yards for the touchdown. It was a franchise record fifth career interception return for a touchdown, passing former Panther great Mike Minter.Munnerlyn took full advantage of the opportunity to mock Holmes, who was targeted a team-high eight times while catching only two passes for 14 yards, by imitating the receiver's touchdown celebration with arms extended wide like an airplane. He culminated it by falling to the ground and drawing a 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct.“It made it much better (that Holmes was involved) and I think my celebration says it all. He always does that when he scores, that little jet thing, and I had to give it back to him and I crashed.“I think (I have a knack for defensive touchdowns) because I used to be a punt returner and every time I get the ball I'm always thinking about scoring. I've got seven interceptions in my career and five went for touchdowns and I think that's a pretty good ratio.”Munnerlyn taking a pick to the end zone wasn't a surprise, but seeing him consistently swooping in on quarterback Geno Smith certainly was a shocker. His two sacks equaled his total in 74 previous career games and were his first since the 2011 season. Defensive coordinator Sean McDermott turned him loose for much of the game.Munnerlyn was surprised at how many times he blitzed and mentioned he'd run into McDermott at the team hotel Saturday night when he returned for curfew and the coach was still doing some late-night film study.“I guess he must've seen something on film before he went to sleep or something,” Munnerlyn said. “I really didn't think I was going to blitz that much and he did a great job dialing it up. They left me free almost the whole game. I'm kind of upset with myself because I felt like I left a couple of plays out there.”At one point head coach Ron Rivera joined the group of reporters surrounding Munnerlyn's locker and told the player to make sure and mention what a great week of preparation he had in practice. The coach later reiterated the same thing in his press conference.“He plays with his heart and he does some good things and he does some crazy things. But he is Captain. He gives you everything he's got. He is a dynamo and he had a really good week at practice and I've said that to a few people. It showed and I'm going to tell him he set the bar really high and I expect him to play well next week.”